Shattered Trust: Parents, COVID, and the Vaccine Reckoning

Experts from medicine, policy, and advocacy examine challenges parents are facing today and reforms needed to restore transparency and protect families going forward.

Agenda:

Keynote Remarks | 10:00 - 10:15 a.m. ET

• The Honorable Rand Paul, M.D. (R-KY)

Panel I | 10:15 - 11:10 a.m. ET

• Jeff Childers, Esq. — President and Founder, Childers Law Firm and Author, "Coffee and Covid"
• David Gortler, Pharm.D. — Senior Research Fellow, Public Health Policy and Regulation, Center for Health and Welfare Policy, The Heritage Foundation
• David Zweig — Journalist and Author, An Abundance of Caution: American Schools, the Virus, and a Story of Bad Decisions
• Tiffany Justice — Visiting Fellow, Coalitions and Chair, Parental Rights Initiative, The Heritage Foundation (moderator)

Panel II | 11:10 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. ET

• Mary Holland, J.D. — Chief Executive Officer, Children’s Health Defense
• Kimberly Vacca, M.D. — Secretary and Fellow, American College of Pediatrics
• Catherine Pakaluk — Economist and Social Philosopher, The Catholic University of America
• Jay Richards, Ph.D. — Director, Richard and Helen DeVos Center for Life, Religion, and Family and William E. Simon Senior Research Fellow, The Heritage Foundation (moderator)

Description:

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed deep fault lines in the relationship between parents, public health institutions, and government. From school closures and mask mandates to one-size-fits-all vaccine policies, families were sidelined in decisions that affected their children most. As a result, trust has eroded—and parents are demanding answers and accountability.

This event explores how COVID-era decisions intensified existing concerns around medical freedom and parental rights, with a particular focus on the ongoing debate over childhood vaccines and the CDC schedule.

Join Heritage and moderators Jay Richards and Tiffany Justice as they bring together experts from medicine, policy, and advocacy to examine what went wrong, what parents are facing today, and what reforms are needed to restore transparency and protect families going forward.